Page 83 of Falling

“Okay, Iknowso.” She turns to me now, propping her leg up on the seat to get more comfortable. “I want to be the greatest.”

“You already are.”

She shakes her head, laughing. “No, Miles, I mean I want to be the best in the fucking world. I’ve dedicated my entire life to this sport. I’ve spent more hours on the ice than I have in bed sinceI was four years old. I’ve done everything in my power to be one of the best in the country. I refuse to drop out or give up when things get hard. I’m not going to stop until I win gold at the Olympics.”

I don’t think I’ve found anything more attractive than this. The way she’s so passionate about what she loves is so fucking admiring.

I tilt my head to the side. “You’re competitive then, huh?”

“I’m not a loser, Miles,” she says, and I swear my entire body comes alive. “I’m not a loser, and I’m not a quitter. That’s why dropping out of the race for regionals last year threw me off. I’m not letting someone else dictate my future or mess up my routine just because they can. I’m going solo from now on, and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”

I grin. “You’re going to do it, you know. You’re going to win Olympic gold.”

She shrugs, flashing me the cockiest smile I’ve ever seen. “I know.”

She glances over to the house and then back to me. “I just want to say that I am trying with this. With us. I know I’ve been distant, but it’s family stuff. It’s just hard to get out of my head sometimes.”

“You can let me into your brain, Wren. I’m never going to judge you.”

“I know, but this is something I need to fix on my own.”

She’s clearly keeping something from me and it’s not just stress about the showcase, but I don't want push her on it and scare her away. There are still things about my past that I haven’t told her yet, and she’s not forced me into confessing my deepest, darkest fears to her.

When we get out of the car, I grab Wren’s hand in mine, and she relaxes into me. We step up onto the porch, and I pause for a second, knowing that inside is going to be a hell full of hockey players.

“Why areyoupreparing for this? It’s bound to be a lot worse for me than it is for you. This isyoursafe space. The last time I came here, I had a panic attack,” Wren mutters, tugging on my hand and looking up at me. Does she have to look so good all the time? Those French braids are making me want to say a huge fuck you the rules we set about PDA. “Come on, Milesy. You’re a big boy; you can handle it.”

I smile and don’t tell her how difficult it’s going to be to see the whole team together, knowing that the last interview we all did together was with Carter. I don’t tell her that it’s going to take everything in me not to rip Jake’s head off the second I lay eyes on him. Instead, I squeeze her hand tighter in mine and step up to the door.

The door swings open, and the room erupts into cheers. Music blasts from the speakers, and it’s probably Gray’s playlist playing. The entire hockey team is here, crammed into the living room and the hallway, along with a bunch of other random people I’ve never seen before. I know that the interviews take place in the soundproofed basement, so there’s no wonder why it’s so loud up here. I pull Wren with me through the crowd until we get to the kitchen, standing on opposite sides of the island.

“Is it just me, or are you getting really vivid déjà vu?” I ask, remembering the night of the party. Wren laughs, picking up one of the waters from the island.

“If only you were choking over the sink again,” she says, shaking her head at me. I’m about to make a snarky comment but Xavier appears, his arm around Michelle as they sport matching NU Bear’s jerseys. Michelle writhes out of his grip and pulls Wren into a tight hug. “Michelle! How are you?”

“I’m fabulous,” Michelle replies, pulling out of the hug and holding Wren at arm’s length. I’m sure they’ve only met once in passing, but apparently, girls can become best friends overnight. “Iloveyour hair like this, Wren. Isn’t it so cute, Miles?”

“The cutest,” I say, no word of a lie as I watch her face turn abright pink. It’s becoming so easy to make her blush, and I want to do it all the time.

Xavier stands beside me, smiling, as we watch our girls gush over each other’s outfits. Well, myfakegirl. Because that’s all we are. The more I tell myself that, the more I start to believe it and act like it.

Maybe.

Possibly.

Hopefully?

“Those two are going to be best friends. No matter how you guys end things, you can’t make my girl upset about losing Wren. She’s, like, obsessed with her. She was stalking her Instagram before we got here,” he says, low enough for only me to hear. Honestly, I’m not surprised. I’ve always wondered why Wren doesn’t have many friends, but with how guarded she can be, it makes sense. People like Michelle would kill to be friends with this girl if she just let them in.

“Can I be honest with you guys?” Michelle says, turning toward me and Xavier. “Wren is the best person you’ve dated, Miles.”

Wren laughs, throwing her head back. “You can stop with all the compliments, Michelle. You don’t have to try to flatter me,” she says, twisting the end of her braid between her fingers.

Michelle shakes her head. “No. I’m being serious. You bring out the best in him. I’ve seen him through many stages in his life, and this is by far the happiest. Losing Carter has been hard for all of us, but you’ve made make him happier, and I don’t think I’ve seen him more smitten.”

Wren stands there, frozen. This is what we want. We need people to be invested in us, but this feels like we’re crossing a line somehow. I know she’s made me a happier person. Even if this is pretend, the way she makes me feel is so real that it scares me. Not the way that she turns me on or drives me crazy, but the way that she talks to me, listens to me, and even when she’s trying to push me away, she still puts in the effort.

Before I can respond and try to save this somehow, Sophia’s voice echoes off the walls. Because she’s one of the most over-the-top people I’ve ever met, she’s connected a microphone to the speakers around the house.

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